tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80937060782611620052016-09-07T23:35:34.643-05:00Gardow FamilyNick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-8402489520692826262010-02-18T10:33:00.005-06:002010-02-18T10:54:21.290-06:00A Few of Evan's Favorite Things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31wcSLA0oI/AAAAAAAAAYk/sb3yTL31LMk/s1600-h/IMG_7946.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31wcSLA0oI/AAAAAAAAAYk/sb3yTL31LMk/s320/IMG_7946.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439627556150104706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31wcPmcQSI/AAAAAAAAAYc/uHpdoRuPCgg/s1600-h/IMG_7944.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31wcPmcQSI/AAAAAAAAAYc/uHpdoRuPCgg/s320/IMG_7944.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439627555459842338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31tsMSC1fI/AAAAAAAAAYM/TAVNaj5MQDQ/s1600-h/IMG_8002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31tsMSC1fI/AAAAAAAAAYM/TAVNaj5MQDQ/s320/IMG_8002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439624530912007666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31trt5LwjI/AAAAAAAAAYE/zIOzjs6jV9M/s1600-h/IMG_8001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31trt5LwjI/AAAAAAAAAYE/zIOzjs6jV9M/s320/IMG_8001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439624522754671154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31trfOwvCI/AAAAAAAAAX8/iQNkB__3EpM/s1600-h/IMG_7975.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31trfOwvCI/AAAAAAAAAX8/iQNkB__3EpM/s320/IMG_7975.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439624518818642978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31trOGEJ2I/AAAAAAAAAX0/hFojCT25aMk/s1600-h/IMG_7973.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31trOGEJ2I/AAAAAAAAAX0/hFojCT25aMk/s320/IMG_7973.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439624514218764130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31sMLJr3HI/AAAAAAAAAXs/tcannbKiYGk/s1600-h/IMG_7972.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31sMLJr3HI/AAAAAAAAAXs/tcannbKiYGk/s320/IMG_7972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439622881341070450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31sLlezu6I/AAAAAAAAAXk/It96BitXfjo/s1600-h/IMG_7971.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31sLlezu6I/AAAAAAAAAXk/It96BitXfjo/s320/IMG_7971.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439622871229119394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Evan loves to watch the washing machine as I said before. He also loves to play in the bath tub and in water so he figured out that he can crawl over to Howie's water dish and splash in there (gross!) which he thinks is super funny. He obviously loves the water because he will crawl into our shower and splash in any water that may be on the floor!! He also loves to play the piano and a lot of the time will crawl over there and stretch up and push the keys. Again he loves to walk with anything he can, especially loves to push this riding/walking toy around.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-80253306146998209982010-02-18T10:22:00.002-06:002010-02-18T10:32:10.420-06:00Evan's Boo-boo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qH8JQtLI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Pwmgi84uj68/s1600-h/IMG_7961.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qH8JQtLI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Pwmgi84uj68/s320/IMG_7961.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439620609570026674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qHnI9RaI/AAAAAAAAAXU/SL6wQsiI9Q8/s1600-h/IMG_7960.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qHnI9RaI/AAAAAAAAAXU/SL6wQsiI9Q8/s320/IMG_7960.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439620603931608482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qHNw5BbI/AAAAAAAAAXM/9XfD-scrNxA/s1600-h/IMG_7951.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qHNw5BbI/AAAAAAAAAXM/9XfD-scrNxA/s320/IMG_7951.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439620597119780274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qGycrySI/AAAAAAAAAXE/lYjb6Xcyn10/s1600-h/IMG_7948.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31qGycrySI/AAAAAAAAAXE/lYjb6Xcyn10/s320/IMG_7948.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439620589787269410" border="0" /></a><br />Unfortunately Evan took a spill down the stairs on Jan. 20 in his walker. The pictures in the orange shirt were taken the day of the fall and he had a nice shiner. As it healed like in the blue jammies and in the tub, it looked darker and worse. Through it all this didn't seem to bother Evan at all. Even in the pictures after the fall he is smiling and being his normal cheerful self. It sucks when your kids get hurt and unfortunately it is a part of life and I am sure this is only the beginning of many scraps, bruises and maybe even broken bones to look forward to. He is a boy after all and they have no fear.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-35653608628092455852010-02-18T10:12:00.002-06:002010-02-18T10:22:18.535-06:00Evan 9 months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31obyX5VHI/AAAAAAAAAW8/BQCp9hR-wTQ/s1600-h/IMG_7902.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31obyX5VHI/AAAAAAAAAW8/BQCp9hR-wTQ/s200/IMG_7902.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439618751521182834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31obiG8z5I/AAAAAAAAAW0/eHfV7CKLYwQ/s1600-h/IMG_7941.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31obiG8z5I/AAAAAAAAAW0/eHfV7CKLYwQ/s200/IMG_7941.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439618747155140498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31obCtnIvI/AAAAAAAAAWs/72zvYqhCM3I/s1600-h/IMG_7933.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31obCtnIvI/AAAAAAAAAWs/72zvYqhCM3I/s200/IMG_7933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439618738727363314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31oa9nY74I/AAAAAAAAAWk/SyrtmAlUsMs/s1600-h/IMG_7904.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31oa9nY74I/AAAAAAAAAWk/SyrtmAlUsMs/s200/IMG_7904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439618737359089538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31oZPNx-nI/AAAAAAAAAWc/x5ciIA5HZtA/s1600-h/IMG_7892.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31oZPNx-nI/AAAAAAAAAWc/x5ciIA5HZtA/s200/IMG_7892.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439618707723778674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Our baby is growing up so fast. He is standing on everything. These pictures are a little old, they are from the beginning of January so he is much more of a monkey now, but I am a little behind on posting. He loves to look at the vacuum cleaner, loves the washing machine and the dishwasher, maybe that will mean he will be a good housekeeper!! One can hope. He stands and walks on anything and everything. Won't be long and he will be walking.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-72017472859655237882010-02-18T09:56:00.002-06:002010-02-18T10:12:53.468-06:00New Years Eve 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mEUTpbHI/AAAAAAAAAWU/NhKmW_JHlzc/s1600-h/IMG_7885.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mEUTpbHI/AAAAAAAAAWU/NhKmW_JHlzc/s320/IMG_7885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439616149290052722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mD_z6G7I/AAAAAAAAAWM/5Ll3ykfH2ec/s1600-h/IMG_7881.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mD_z6G7I/AAAAAAAAAWM/5Ll3ykfH2ec/s320/IMG_7881.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439616143788219314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mCXghUbI/AAAAAAAAAWE/X5Fc4rco1B8/s1600-h/IMG_7880.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mCXghUbI/AAAAAAAAAWE/X5Fc4rco1B8/s320/IMG_7880.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439616115789615538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mB9SccKI/AAAAAAAAAV8/fEMku5YLUVE/s1600-h/IMG_7876.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/S31mB9SccKI/AAAAAAAAAV8/fEMku5YLUVE/s320/IMG_7876.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439616108751253666" border="0" /></a><br />For New Years Eve we had Carisa, Braden, Kari, Elijah, Christina, Zach, Alan, &amp; Jenni over to celebrate. The kids had a great time playing and the adults had a great time chatting. It was fun to try and get all the kids together in one picture. That proved to be a little bit of a challenge and unfortunately Alan did not want to be part of the picture. Oh well such is life. It was a very fun night if I do say so myself even though everyone was gone by 10:30pm and I woke up after midnight on the couch, wished myself a Happy New Year and climbed in bed!! I wouldn't trade the time spent with the kids and good friends for anything in the world. Even Nicholas was able to stop home during his shift and say hello and grab a bite to eat.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-38960868813918683602009-12-28T15:44:00.001-06:002009-12-28T15:57:53.796-06:00Christmas 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpVyv3yFI/AAAAAAAAAVg/Fg7MjiUoyjg/s1600-h/IMG_7834.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpVyv3yFI/AAAAAAAAAVg/Fg7MjiUoyjg/s200/IMG_7834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420409080893655122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpVucfBQI/AAAAAAAAAVY/-d9ZXZBhonY/s1600-h/IMG_7800.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpVucfBQI/AAAAAAAAAVY/-d9ZXZBhonY/s200/IMG_7800.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420409079738598658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpVUl5D0I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/UIBvKR8X9So/s1600-h/IMG_7737.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpVUl5D0I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/UIBvKR8X9So/s200/IMG_7737.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420409072798732098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpU0celiI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oYUW4c1Tu4c/s1600-h/IMG_7742.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpU0celiI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oYUW4c1Tu4c/s200/IMG_7742.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420409064169313826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpUclUgHI/AAAAAAAAAVA/YmbBapXnHA8/s1600-h/IMG_7784.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkpUclUgHI/AAAAAAAAAVA/YmbBapXnHA8/s200/IMG_7784.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420409057763950706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoCeb5oVI/AAAAAAAAAU4/enIR9TDVS4Y/s1600-h/IMG_7762.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoCeb5oVI/AAAAAAAAAU4/enIR9TDVS4Y/s200/IMG_7762.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420407649512038738" border="0" /></a><br />.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoB3FWhdI/AAAAAAAAAUw/DZBjLGUoNfc/s1600-h/IMG_7843.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoB3FWhdI/AAAAAAAAAUw/DZBjLGUoNfc/s200/IMG_7843.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420407638948480466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoBTXnfZI/AAAAAAAAAUo/wSqNNmGgAq8/s1600-h/IMG_7823.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoBTXnfZI/AAAAAAAAAUo/wSqNNmGgAq8/s200/IMG_7823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420407629361413522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoBBP4CSI/AAAAAAAAAUg/F6jK1JJ6o5c/s1600-h/IMG_7775.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoBBP4CSI/AAAAAAAAAUg/F6jK1JJ6o5c/s200/IMG_7775.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420407624497105186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoA73c1AI/AAAAAAAAAUY/vUeXKTHaLqE/s1600-h/IMG_7764.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkoA73c1AI/AAAAAAAAAUY/vUeXKTHaLqE/s200/IMG_7764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420407623052481538" border="0" /></a><br />Christmas was busy but fun. It seemed a lot more relaxing this year than in the past. On Dec. 21 we had an early Christmas at our house with Grandma and Grandpa Bowe with an excellent lasagna dinner made by Nicholas. On Christmas Eve we were at my Grandpa Ronnie's to celebrate with the Clark family. Christmas day, we opened gifts at home, then to my mom and dad's for breakfast, then to Grandma and Grandpa Gardow's for Christmas. The kids got way too many toys as usual but also a lot of clothes too! Evan had more fun trying to eat the wrapping paper and boxes than opening the gifts but he got some fun bath toys and some toys that make noise which he loves!! Sam said her favorite gift was her Bear Paw boots &amp; Super Smash Bros Brawl Wii Game, Katarina's was her Littlest Pet Shop stuff and new bed set, Ian's favorite was his "Citrus Dragon" Webkinz and Bakugons. I would have to say Evan's favorite gifts were his drum that you hit and it says the alphabet or just makes music and this ball that rolls around and plays music and sings. Nicholas got a gear bag for work, tool box and the movie "Seven Pounds" and I got Shape Up Sketchers. Overall it was a great Christmas. Very odd weather, but I will take the slushy yuck instead of bitter cold anyday!!! I hope everyone else's Christmas was enjoyable and you got to spend lots of time with family, because they are our most precious gift!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-61074644179470579862009-12-28T15:37:00.000-06:002009-12-28T15:44:17.439-06:00Evan 8 Months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmB9Mf9WI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/o3TabFJDAI4/s1600-h/IMG_7717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmB9Mf9WI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/o3TabFJDAI4/s200/IMG_7717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420405441565816162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmBjD0AkI/AAAAAAAAAUI/HMhbisqZwkE/s1600-h/IMG_7749.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmBjD0AkI/AAAAAAAAAUI/HMhbisqZwkE/s200/IMG_7749.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420405434550059586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmBbFxzdI/AAAAAAAAAUA/PDBTLsszdP0/s1600-h/IMG_7683.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmBbFxzdI/AAAAAAAAAUA/PDBTLsszdP0/s200/IMG_7683.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420405432410820050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmA1v8UfI/AAAAAAAAAT4/92PtCBVuKFo/s1600-h/IMG_7736.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmA1v8UfI/AAAAAAAAAT4/92PtCBVuKFo/s200/IMG_7736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420405422387122674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmAUc4Y8I/AAAAAAAAATw/NyBx1zbloU0/s1600-h/IMG_7720.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzkmAUc4Y8I/AAAAAAAAATw/NyBx1zbloU0/s200/IMG_7720.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420405413448803266" border="0" /></a><br />I can't believe my baby is already 8 months old!! Before we know it he will be entering Kindergarten like his big brother did this year or Middle School like his oldest sister did!! Why can't they stay babies, non-talking, non-sassy, non-hitting, cute, cuddly innocent babies??<br /><br />Evan is sure busy trying to keep up with Sam, Katarina and Ian. He loves scooting around in his walker and chasing after you and trying to get into the Christmas tree. He can also army crawl around. He gets up and rocks on all fours but the wood floor is kind of slippery and his legs slip back out so he does what he can. That is okay because once he starts crawling or walking, then we are in trouble!! His cousin Natalie who is 11 months was over and holy man is she fast when she crawls!! I can't wait until summer when we can be outside and he can scoot around in the grass. One thing we find extremely funny is his hair. Like you can see in this last picture, a tuft of hair that sticks straight up no matter what we do. And it is even worse after he takes a bath, it is really uncontrollable. But that is what we love about him and his smile and his giggles!! I wish he could stay this way forever. He absolutely LOVES the dogs and cats!! Him and Sassafras are buddies most of the time, but now Evan is getting grabby so Sassy isn't sure what to think. Howie and Rex still love him to death. Howie gives him kisses whenever he can, Evan just giggles but tries to turn away!! They are so cute I hope they stay buddies.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-37998148664699057102009-12-27T15:13:00.000-06:002009-12-27T15:19:17.882-06:00Tree Hunting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPQsoIdYI/AAAAAAAAATo/5sKR7dZN2sg/s1600-h/IMG_7691.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPQsoIdYI/AAAAAAAAATo/5sKR7dZN2sg/s200/IMG_7691.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420028562328024450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPP9rZn5I/AAAAAAAAATg/9uC-pUvvqMA/s1600-h/IMG_7689.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPP9rZn5I/AAAAAAAAATg/9uC-pUvvqMA/s200/IMG_7689.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420028549725265810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPPiNwi0I/AAAAAAAAATY/ONpNKUbclbc/s1600-h/IMG_7694.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPPiNwi0I/AAAAAAAAATY/ONpNKUbclbc/s200/IMG_7694.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420028542353181506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPPYvYeHI/AAAAAAAAATQ/WuBoTPgBs7I/s1600-h/IMG_7711.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPPYvYeHI/AAAAAAAAATQ/WuBoTPgBs7I/s200/IMG_7711.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420028539809855602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPPI6WrCI/AAAAAAAAATI/dDx9nD1cTHw/s1600-h/IMG_7687.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfPPI6WrCI/AAAAAAAAATI/dDx9nD1cTHw/s200/IMG_7687.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420028535560907810" border="0" /></a><br />Every year we have a tradition to pick out and cut our own Christmas tree at Pleasant Valley Tree Farm in Elk Mound with Gardow family. We always have a good time and for once awesome weather!! This year was so nice, we were really spoiled! As you can see Katarina got into a crabby attitude, oh well. I have realized that if they won't smile, that's fine, I still get my picture and when they look back years later they will see what a grouch they were. I get my picture and am happy and the kids don't have to smile so they are happy! All the kids get a turn with the saw helping to cut down our tree as well as Grandma and Grandpa's tree; even Evan took a turn!! Tree hunting went quick, then inside for some hot chocolate, apple cider and popcorn. Then back to Lorraine's for some chili. There was supposed to be chicken noodle soup too but someone forgot to make it, but we won't mention any names!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-32213294218619095252009-12-27T15:03:00.000-06:002009-12-27T15:12:57.545-06:00Nicholas' 30th Birthday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM4iRF78I/AAAAAAAAATA/ChfDtMB3cho/s1600-h/IMG_7670.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM4iRF78I/AAAAAAAAATA/ChfDtMB3cho/s320/IMG_7670.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420025948206919618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM4Phy8BI/AAAAAAAAAS4/wfpGiF6dl5c/s1600-h/DSCN0914.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM4Phy8BI/AAAAAAAAAS4/wfpGiF6dl5c/s320/DSCN0914.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420025943176704018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM34umwrI/AAAAAAAAASw/27-Uw-GjkYM/s1600-h/DSCN0913.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM34umwrI/AAAAAAAAASw/27-Uw-GjkYM/s320/DSCN0913.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420025937056416434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM3d0ZtOI/AAAAAAAAASo/e4M5rTqoHpM/s1600-h/DSCN0882.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM3d0ZtOI/AAAAAAAAASo/e4M5rTqoHpM/s320/DSCN0882.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420025929832969442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM3Oo2GJI/AAAAAAAAASg/76L14mOLDRw/s1600-h/DSCN0890.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SzfM3Oo2GJI/AAAAAAAAASg/76L14mOLDRw/s320/DSCN0890.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420025925757966482" border="0" /></a><br />For Nicholas' 30th Birthday I surprised him with a vacation to Las Vegas, NV!! Neither one of us had ever been there before and it turned out to be an interesting trip. He was amused by the fact there were signs for $1 BJ (standing for Black Jack) so we went into the casino to play some Black Jack. Well of course all of the $1 tables were full but there were some spots open at the Roulette table so we decided to try that for a while. We had a great time at this Roulette table and won a lot before getting back to where we started but the dealer was an awesome lady. Roulette became our game. It is a lot of fun and really pure luck involved!! We did have fun on the computer Black Jack machines at our hotel and actually played and chatted for a few hours with people from MN and IA! Small world. The very first picture is of the motorcycle Nicholas had his heart on winning. Since there are no motorcycles in the garage, you can guess how that went for him. The very last picture is of the birthday boy on his 30th Birthday while at the buffet in the hotel. Overall Vegas was fun, we found a casino that had $1 Margaritas and beer so we spent a lot of time there. We saw the Blue Man Group, Jay Leno and Fantasy, all of which were great. Definitely would like to go to Vegas again someday now that we know a little bit about what we can do and where we should stay and make it a few more days and save up a lot more money!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-33875554014260527142009-11-05T07:41:00.000-06:002009-11-05T07:46:51.091-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLXA0lRoAI/AAAAAAAAASY/ttVKAFAab5k/s1600-h/IMG_7625.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLXA0lRoAI/AAAAAAAAASY/ttVKAFAab5k/s320/IMG_7625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400615312285605890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLXAXliPQI/AAAAAAAAASQ/uVJEpJBQEfM/s1600-h/IMG_7608.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLXAXliPQI/AAAAAAAAASQ/uVJEpJBQEfM/s320/IMG_7608.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400615304502066434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLXARyjUwI/AAAAAAAAASI/fcUOr5BV_TE/s1600-h/IMG_7596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLXARyjUwI/AAAAAAAAASI/fcUOr5BV_TE/s320/IMG_7596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400615302946050818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLW_33Cw2I/AAAAAAAAASA/2ivxLJHs6W4/s1600-h/IMG_7590.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLW_33Cw2I/AAAAAAAAASA/2ivxLJHs6W4/s320/IMG_7590.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400615295985566562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLW_sFdsaI/AAAAAAAAAR4/9PhLuJPD-JU/s1600-h/IMG_7579.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvLW_sFdsaI/AAAAAAAAAR4/9PhLuJPD-JU/s320/IMG_7579.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400615292824826274" border="0" /></a><br />I can't believe Evan is 6 months old already!! Time flies and before we know it he will be in Kindergarten!! Total he has 6 teeth (2 on the bottom and he recently got 4 on the top in the past couple of weeks). He loves to be on the floor and army crawl anywhere he can, it won't be long and he will be crawling to keep up with his older brother and sisters. We even made it to his 6 month check up before he got his first ear infection!! He reminds me so much of Sam when having to give him his medicine because as soon as he sees the syringe, his lips smack together and he tries to turn his head away. Too bad mom and dad are pros at giving medicine to uncooperative babies (he can than his big sister, Sam for that one). Rex and he still like to cuddle on the ottoman and he absolutely loves to listen to you read to him. I just love the picture of him, Katarina and Ian reading because he is so enthralled with Katarina talking, it was absolutely adorable. He smiles all the time and now when a stranger talks to him he will nuzzle right into your neck, I love it!! He is such a good baby, we couldn't ask for anything better.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-52238456644092799022009-11-04T17:53:00.000-06:002009-11-04T18:02:40.787-06:00Happy Halloween<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVWBOkGVI/AAAAAAAAAQg/PUOLPxFkvtU/s1600-h/IMG_7666.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVWBOkGVI/AAAAAAAAAQg/PUOLPxFkvtU/s320/IMG_7666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400402371201472850" border="0" /></a>This Halloween I went as a "Spider Web Witch", Evan was a 3 eyed monster, Ian was a Star Wars Clone and Katarina was Mary Poppins. Sam didn't really dress up because she was in a basketball tournament which her team took 3rd place in!! So I guess you could say she was a basketball player but she didn't get to go Trick or Treating. We met Christina and Alan downtown Chippewa on Friday to Trick or Treat at the businesses. On Saturday we went to visit my Grandpa Ronnie and made it a whole 3 blocks for Trick or Treating due to the extremely cold and windy weather. That's OK, less candy for mom and dad to snack on. Overall it was a fun Halloween. I helped out with Ian's class at school play some games and we made a large Pumpkin cupcake cake which turned out awesome and had lots of fun baking treats.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVVmIUx5I/AAAAAAAAAQY/ellBIGTjxsQ/s1600-h/IMG_7662.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVVmIUx5I/AAAAAAAAAQY/ellBIGTjxsQ/s320/IMG_7662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400402363927545746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVVdu9F6I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/cF5c0Wok5ec/s1600-h/IMG_7656.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVVdu9F6I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/cF5c0Wok5ec/s320/IMG_7656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400402361673652130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVVHHc9KI/AAAAAAAAAQI/TEPUi0_tA_Q/s1600-h/IMG_7654.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SvIVVHHc9KI/AAAAAAAAAQI/TEPUi0_tA_Q/s320/IMG_7654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400402355602388130" border="0" /></a>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-73783522574933840722009-09-28T18:28:00.000-05:002009-09-28T18:44:15.703-05:00Another New Addition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHrQZ6KcI/AAAAAAAAAPI/hAe63P3qsOY/s1600-h/IMG_7420.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHrQZ6KcI/AAAAAAAAAPI/hAe63P3qsOY/s320/IMG_7420.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386665437775407554" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The newest addition to the family is our dog Rex. He is a terrier mix and resembles a Jack Russel. Believe it or not Nicholas actually wanted the dog. He had picked it up one night while working and took it to the Humane Association. We visited him 4 times and then took him home on September 10. As you can see he loves Evan and is very protective of him and the rest of the kids. If I am feeding Evan, Rex will usually sit right by us and if Howie comes over, Rex gives him a piece of his mind!! These are a few of their favorite spots.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHq0t93cI/AAAAAAAAAPA/1Ed-rBrwy7E/s1600-h/IMG_7418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHq0t93cI/AAAAAAAAAPA/1Ed-rBrwy7E/s320/IMG_7418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386665430343343554" border="0" /></a>Rex and Sam.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHqRaXaUI/AAAAAAAAAO4/6k_v42YBJLg/s1600-h/IMG_7415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHqRaXaUI/AAAAAAAAAO4/6k_v42YBJLg/s320/IMG_7415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386665420865890626" border="0" /></a>Rex is usually found sleeping with Katarina. This is his first night at home and already he found our little animal magnet!!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHp2vDAcI/AAAAAAAAAOw/EOmq4sdEJws/s1600-h/IMG_7411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SsFHp2vDAcI/AAAAAAAAAOw/EOmq4sdEJws/s320/IMG_7411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386665413704876482" border="0" /></a>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-43296979661667091992009-09-09T16:45:00.000-05:002009-09-09T16:54:53.626-05:00One of the kids' favorite past times<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgj4GWuv3I/AAAAAAAAAOo/DARIVQz9IVg/s1600-h/IMG_7238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgj4GWuv3I/AAAAAAAAAOo/DARIVQz9IVg/s320/IMG_7238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379589201579655026" border="0" />One of the kids' favorite things to do during the summer is to go frog hunting!! Here are some of the frogs the kids have caught this summer including some cute baby tree frogs!!</a><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgj3jhodoI/AAAAAAAAAOg/nqJfJ0So-Dc/s1600-h/IMG_7239.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgj3jhodoI/AAAAAAAAAOg/nqJfJ0So-Dc/s320/IMG_7239.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379589192230139522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgj3FSTtUI/AAAAAAAAAOY/vCuwtjexe1c/s1600-h/IMG_7242.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgj3FSTtUI/AAAAAAAAAOY/vCuwtjexe1c/s320/IMG_7242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379589184112801090" border="0" /></a>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-65837445256732389902009-09-09T16:30:00.000-05:002009-09-09T16:38:41.364-05:00Relay For Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgfyZnD7cI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/WpkxIgnmi8k/s1600-h/DSCN0701.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgfyZnD7cI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/WpkxIgnmi8k/s200/DSCN0701.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379584705622699458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgfx0Qrc6I/AAAAAAAAAOI/XSTEo3tu-zk/s1600-h/DSCN0695.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgfx0Qrc6I/AAAAAAAAAOI/XSTEo3tu-zk/s200/DSCN0695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379584695596708770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgfxj9KcyI/AAAAAAAAAOA/zenFAD0g8sk/s1600-h/DSCN0691.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sqgfxj9KcyI/AAAAAAAAAOA/zenFAD0g8sk/s200/DSCN0691.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379584691219886882" border="0" /></a><br />Chippewa County Relay for Life was held on July 31 at the Chippewa Falls Middle School. It was absolutely gorgeous weather and there were a lot of people there. Overall the Relay event raised around $110,000 that helps with cancer research, patient advocacy &amp; counseling services for people who have cancer or people who are caring for someone with cancer.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-20543858749598943762009-09-09T16:12:00.000-05:002009-09-09T16:30:03.342-05:00Evan's Baptism<div style="text-align: center;"><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdI04HKoI/AAAAAAAAAN4/L7Sto1Jddyk/s1600-h/IMG_7124.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Evan was Baptized at St Charles Borremeo Catholic Church on July, 11 by Deacon Tom Kinnick.</span></span></a> He didn't cry when the water went on his head but he had this look like "what are you doing to me now?" on his face, it was priceless!!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdHN9EPnI/AAAAAAAAANY/TvOKuZyY1BA/s1600-h/IMG_7085.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdHN9EPnI/AAAAAAAAANY/TvOKuZyY1BA/s200/IMG_7085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379581764736138866" border="0" /></a>Godparents, Deacon Kinnick, Evan &amp; Mom and Dad<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdHoBvDYI/AAAAAAAAANg/eNFvzdp1dtY/s1600-h/IMG_7106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdHoBvDYI/AAAAAAAAANg/eNFvzdp1dtY/s200/IMG_7106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379581771735043458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdI04HKoI/AAAAAAAAAN4/L7Sto1Jddyk/s1600-h/IMG_7124.JPG">Evan's Godparents are his Aunt Jenni &amp; Uncle Jon<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdI04HKoI/AAAAAAAAAN4/L7Sto1Jddyk/s200/IMG_7124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379581792364210818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdIV5tcvI/AAAAAAAAANw/A2QPex74_Zs/s1600-h/IMG_7150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdIV5tcvI/AAAAAAAAANw/A2QPex74_Zs/s200/IMG_7150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379581784049414898" border="0" />Evan in his baptismal gown made by his Great Grandma Barb.</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdH8fpg5I/AAAAAAAAANo/DadWo-0MJes/s1600-h/IMG_7145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SqgdH8fpg5I/AAAAAAAAANo/DadWo-0MJes/s200/IMG_7145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379581777229218706" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-85759105188664899932009-08-05T11:18:00.000-05:002009-08-05T11:41:25.832-05:00Water Fountain Atlanta, GA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snm1PfFC-LI/AAAAAAAAANQ/eSJPSmgmhLo/s1600-h/IMG_6518.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snm1PfFC-LI/AAAAAAAAANQ/eSJPSmgmhLo/s200/IMG_6518.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366519708633987250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snm1O9btuCI/AAAAAAAAANI/GPz3Uc55_HA/s1600-h/IMG_6508.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snm1O9btuCI/AAAAAAAAANI/GPz3Uc55_HA/s200/IMG_6508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366519699602257954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snm1OZD5jxI/AAAAAAAAANA/XY-4Le9UqWU/s1600-h/IMG_6509.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snm1OZD5jxI/AAAAAAAAANA/XY-4Le9UqWU/s200/IMG_6509.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366519689838694162" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Centennial Olympic Park water fountain. The kids had a blast in the fountain and were able to cool off too. This is obviously a "hot" spot for kids in the area, it was jam packed.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-50364124167183631932009-08-05T10:23:00.000-05:002009-08-05T11:10:44.355-05:00World of Coca-Cola<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmupkLxfOI/AAAAAAAAAM4/SfqkrBtVChI/s1600-h/IMG_6487.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmupkLxfOI/AAAAAAAAAM4/SfqkrBtVChI/s200/IMG_6487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366512460099583202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmupSYTgJI/AAAAAAAAAMw/MGKcrPPu0Ps/s1600-h/IMG_6465.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmupSYTgJI/AAAAAAAAAMw/MGKcrPPu0Ps/s200/IMG_6465.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366512455320305810" border="0" /></a>At the World of Coca-Cola we got to see the many Olympic torches, lots of memorabilia and met the Coca-Cola panda bear.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmupLh4aHI/AAAAAAAAAMo/C7u4pzT-Gww/s1600-h/IMG_6474.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmupLh4aHI/AAAAAAAAAMo/C7u4pzT-Gww/s200/IMG_6474.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366512453481425010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmuokW7BkI/AAAAAAAAAMg/ICrYK6spWvE/s1600-h/IMG_6459.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnmuokW7BkI/AAAAAAAAAMg/ICrYK6spWvE/s200/IMG_6459.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366512442966476354" border="0" /></a>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-87758009471118700972009-08-04T23:23:00.000-05:002009-08-04T23:54:02.222-05:00Arrington Vineyard<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkOYaG5kOI/AAAAAAAAAMY/qrHXaPHIaHs/s1600-h/IMG_6285.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkOYaG5kOI/AAAAAAAAAMY/qrHXaPHIaHs/s200/IMG_6285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366336243476566242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkOX69UECI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/_eiZDmr7m60/s1600-h/IMG_6281.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkOX69UECI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/_eiZDmr7m60/s200/IMG_6281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366336235114860578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkOXYEhfcI/AAAAAAAAAMA/Vh1qpW3BlSY/s1600-h/IMG_6284.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkOXYEhfcI/AAAAAAAAAMA/Vh1qpW3BlSY/s200/IMG_6284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366336225749859778" border="0" /></a><br />Arrington Vineyards in Arrington, TN. This vineyard is owned by Kix Brooks of the music group "Brooks &amp; Dunn". My favorites were dessert wines: Muscat Love &amp; Raspberry. The Raspberry wine is especially good with the specially made truffles that have the Raspberry wine in them. This combination is to die for!! I also liked a few of the white wines: Riesling 2008 and the Gewurztramier. Both are delicious. They had some good red wines but I am just not a big fan of red wines. On the deck they had this very cool "christmas tree" made completely out of horse shoes and strung with white lights. For some reason that picture is just not cooperating on getting posted. I could have sat here and tasted wine all day then went and had a picnic on the deck and enjoyed the scenery.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-24920912612048509712009-08-04T22:49:00.000-05:002009-08-04T23:23:15.548-05:00St Louis, MO<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Gateway Arch, the view from the top, kids looking out the viewing windows, and us in the little cart to go up and down the arch</span>.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGiX_2BGI/AAAAAAAAALw/6RL92A4JLg4/s1600-h/IMG_6261.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGiX_2BGI/AAAAAAAAALw/6RL92A4JLg4/s200/IMG_6261.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366327618615772258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGiHdcbzI/AAAAAAAAALo/UkIOZ5xJTUk/s1600-h/IMG_6233.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGiHdcbzI/AAAAAAAAALo/UkIOZ5xJTUk/s200/IMG_6233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366327614176522034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGhl1qzAI/AAAAAAAAALg/8_7ArEJXJ-g/s1600-h/IMG_6223.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGhl1qzAI/AAAAAAAAALg/8_7ArEJXJ-g/s200/IMG_6223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366327605151321090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGhRWqO0I/AAAAAAAAALY/yWyLcqR0Wq8/s1600-h/IMG_6219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SnkGhRWqO0I/AAAAAAAAALY/yWyLcqR0Wq8/s200/IMG_6219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366327599652551490" border="0" /></a>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-10997016523493891992009-08-04T22:05:00.000-05:002009-08-04T22:49:23.577-05:00Family Vacation Road Trip Overview<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">On our family vacation we took a road trip cross country with Kari, Nate &amp; Elijah's house in North Carolina being the ultimate goal. Friday, June 12 we headed to Iowa to visit Bridgit, Chris, Caitlyn and Natalie for a few days. There we played games, went swimming and climbed the rock wall. Then on the road to St. Louis, MO where we went to the top of the Gateway Arch. The kids thought this was really neat looking at all the cars and boats from way up high. Next to Arrington, TN to Arrington Vineyards. I sampled 6 different wines and felt a little loopy. This was the first time I had had a drink since having Evan so I wasn't surprised. After purchasing 6 bottles of wine we were on our way to Atlanta, GA. We arrived at the hotel in Atlanta a little after midnight and it was 82 degrees!!! The next day was hot and humid and the sun was out in full force. Speaking with some locals they said this wasn't even a hot day!! Guess I could never last in the south!! First stop was Zoo Atlanta where we saw panda bears, reptiles, and lots of babies. A lot of the animals did not have the huge cages around the exhibits like they do here. The giraffes, zebras and ostrich's were roaming free. There was only a fence and a creek that separated us from the animals. It was very neat for the kids to get an opportunity to see the animals this close and to get some great pictures. Next stop was the World of Coca-Cola. The tour was neat with years and years of memorabilia and a neat movie on what happens inside a pop machine. The Coca-Cola panda bear was there taking pictures with guests. He was a hoot. He scared the pants off one lady, and Nick just about dies laughing. Then a girl about Sam's age had a stuffed penguin and he put it in his mouth and was refusing to give it back. Then he snuggled up to a cute gal and gently gave Evan a kiss on the head. The neatest thing was the 4-D movie complete with moving seats, wind and water effects. We got to try different kinds of Coke from all over the world. They have unique flavors from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Some were pretty good like the sour apple and others were awful (Beverly). We got to take home our own commemorative bottle made only at the World of Coca-Cola factory. Due to the hot and humid weather, and advice from Bridgit, we took a walk over to the Olympic Centennial Park. They have the 5 Olympic rings that are fountains. The kids had a ton of fun and were soaked but cooled off a little. The next day we packed up and headed to North Carolina. We hung out at Nate &amp; Kari's house most of the time and played games, and just chilled. One day we spent at the beach. The kids had tons of fun finding shells, jumping waves and trying to make sand castles. I could definitely live near a beach and spend most of my days there. Listening to the waves is so soothing and jumping waves and running on the sand is a great workout. Plus it provides hours and hours of entertainment for the kids. It was another hot &amp; humid day but a nice breeze from the ocean provided some relief. The ocean water was the perfect temperature to cool off in. Evan slept most of the time but I did take him into the water once. He DID NOT like this water at all!! It was a little chilly and being the warm boy he is I figured it would not sit well. After a few days in North Carolina we headed to Louisville, KY. We ended up staying Lexington, KY. The drive from Lexington to Louisville was absolutely gorgeous!! There were rolling hills and horse ranches on both sides of the highway. Of course it had to be raining so I could not take pictures and the ones through the windows were not doing the beautiful area any justice. I was hoping to be able to take some back roads and enjoy the scenery but unfortunately we were short on time. We went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and toured the factory where they make bats. Unfortunately they do not make bats on Sundays but this was probably better since I am sure it would have been loud for Evan. At the end of the tour we each got our own little bat and being Father's Day, Nicholas got a special "Most Valuable Dad 2009" bat. Next we went to Churchill Downs were the Kentucky Derby is run. Sam, Katarina, Ian and I took a look around the museum and took a tour of the grounds. We were lucky enough to be at Churchill Downs on a race day so we got to see the "locker room" area where the horses are kept and walked around so people can decide which one to bet on. Then the horses were dressed and the jockey's took over. A jockey is around 5'3" tall and weighs between 108-115lbs (finally a job tailored just to me!!). Next the horses and jockeys go out to the track where they take a leisurely lap around the track. Something I didn't know was that usually the first time a jockey ever meets the horse is in the "locker room" area just before the race. Then we got to watch a race. The track was definitely a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Watching the horses come around the corner and listening to their hooves on the dirt was amazing!!! There was one horse that was being particularly stubborn before the race which is the one Sam would have bet on and that horse won!! After a long day in KY we decided the next destination would be Chicago, IL. We took in Navy Pier amusement park and went on a pirate ship ride into Lake Michigan. Next off to the Shedd Aquarium where we went through a "flood season" and how the wildlife changes throughout. Then onto more local aquatic life and finally into the ocean. In the lakes exhibit there was a fish that was about 3 times the size of Evan!! And snakes that were about 8 feet long. Ian really liked the sharks and Katarina loved the corals and colorful fish of the ocean. They had a huge sea turtle that I would guess was at least 5 feet around, just on the bottom of his shell!! Very neat experience, just wish we would have had more time to enjoy it. Then off for home. We decided to drive right through and arrived home around 12:30am on Tuesday, June 23. All in all it was a great trip and we could not have asked for better behaved children, especially in the car. Hopefully this is just the start of many new adventures!!!</span>Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-41225710241789135542009-08-04T21:41:00.000-05:002009-08-04T22:05:40.845-05:00Family Vacation - Iowa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1pSwelWI/AAAAAAAAALQ/CkKfzoKB8BE/s1600-h/IMG_6202.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1pSwelWI/AAAAAAAAALQ/CkKfzoKB8BE/s200/IMG_6202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366309045770556770" border="0" /></a>Katarina, Nick and Sam climbing the wall.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1o6ETMtI/AAAAAAAAALI/-pczxd1Yfzc/s1600-h/IMG_6166.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1o6ETMtI/AAAAAAAAALI/-pczxd1Yfzc/s200/IMG_6166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366309039142810322" border="0" /></a>Ian taking a turn at wall climbing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1ooe5z4I/AAAAAAAAALA/6ChHq6M9wqY/s1600-h/DSCN0608.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1ooe5z4I/AAAAAAAAALA/6ChHq6M9wqY/s200/DSCN0608.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366309034422554498" border="0" /></a>Evan's first time in a swimming pool, at the Waukee, Iowa YMCA.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1oM5aM5I/AAAAAAAAAK4/CQPPn8d2cKU/s1600-h/DSCN0607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1oM5aM5I/AAAAAAAAAK4/CQPPn8d2cKU/s200/DSCN0607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366309027017536402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1n54oYuI/AAAAAAAAAKw/HJ6s_QRYjNs/s1600-h/DSCN0601.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Snj1n54oYuI/AAAAAAAAAKw/HJ6s_QRYjNs/s200/DSCN0601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366309021913998050" border="0" /></a>Caitlyn, Natalie, Bridgit and Katarina having fun at the YMCA pool.<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">We finally took a family vacation this summer. Our first stop was Waukee, IA to visit Bridgit, Chris, Caitlyn and Natalie. While in Iowa we had a great time hanging out, playing games, playing the Wii, trying wall climbing and swimming at the local YMCA. They sure have a nice pool and facility, wish Chippewa would get something like it.</span> See our next posts for more of the stops and fun on our 11 day family vacation road trip!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-74940575185181083812009-07-01T12:34:00.000-05:002009-07-01T12:51:47.533-05:00Katarina's Awards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkugFz0367I/AAAAAAAAAKo/NzrIQYpAmW0/s1600-h/IMG_6124.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkugFz0367I/AAAAAAAAAKo/NzrIQYpAmW0/s320/IMG_6124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353548603731733426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkugFT4widI/AAAAAAAAAKg/BGIqnZFRhEs/s1600-h/IMG_6122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkugFT4widI/AAAAAAAAAKg/BGIqnZFRhEs/s320/IMG_6122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353548595158092242" border="0" /></a><br />On June 5th Jim Falls Elementary held their annual awards ceremony. Katarina received 2 awards. One was for reading at least 10 minutes a night at home throughout the school year and the second was for receiving an average of 94% or higher on all of her spelling tests throughout first grade!! We are very proud of her and hope she continues to be a great speller and reader.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-87296391945464652052009-07-01T12:19:00.000-05:002009-07-01T12:34:32.225-05:00Sam's Awards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkudbfBG3sI/AAAAAAAAAKY/QWJLyDkWYYw/s1600-h/IMG_6132.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkudbfBG3sI/AAAAAAAAAKY/QWJLyDkWYYw/s320/IMG_6132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353545677568138946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkudbACQrgI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/8tAGhVYKlNQ/s1600-h/IMG_6139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkudbACQrgI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/8tAGhVYKlNQ/s320/IMG_6139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353545669251476994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Skudalp6IGI/AAAAAAAAAKI/wed8SxUPJ5A/s1600-h/IMG_6140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Skudalp6IGI/AAAAAAAAAKI/wed8SxUPJ5A/s320/IMG_6140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353545662170013794" border="0" /></a>On June 5th Jim Falls Elementary School held their annual awards ceremony. Samantha received numerous awards showing her hard work and dedication paid off. The one she is most proud of is the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. In order to receive this award a student must maintain an A- grade point average throughout 4th and 5th grade. 11 students in Sam's class received this award and she would like to point out only one was a boy!! Other awards she received are: Library Reading Award for checking out 52 books from the school library throughout the year, Family Reading Award for partaking in a "Book-It" like program which encourages children to read at least 10 minutes every night at home either by themselves or with a parent, an Art Award for putting forth the most effort on art projects, and a pin for participating in a state wide competition for Battle of the Books. If you are not familiar with Battle of the Books it is a program where a group of 3 students have a list of books to read and memorize then are asked numerous questions about the books. We are very proud of Sam and know she will do well in Middle School. Wow I just can't believe that she is going to Middle School! Someone told me kids will grow up even faster once they enter school and I really didn't believe it until my kids were in school. And now Sam is going to be a 6th grader!!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-43922834541294970202009-07-01T11:24:00.000-05:002009-07-01T11:49:29.021-05:00Ian's 4K Graduation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkuSuqiX34I/AAAAAAAAAJY/VYSfnSjhw4I/s1600-h/IMG_6118.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkuSuqiX34I/AAAAAAAAAJY/VYSfnSjhw4I/s320/IMG_6118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353533912450064258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkuSubbkDUI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/itDzl9unOXY/s1600-h/IMG_6121.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkuSubbkDUI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/itDzl9unOXY/s320/IMG_6121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353533908394970434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkuSuPHgIoI/AAAAAAAAAJI/oS9LgAL5JPE/s1600-h/IMG_6104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SkuSuPHgIoI/AAAAAAAAAJI/oS9LgAL5JPE/s320/IMG_6104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353533905089602178" border="0" /></a><br />Ian "graduated" from 4yoa kindergarten (BB4C) on June 4th. He was so handsome and so proud that he finally gets to go to kindergarten and ride the bus with Katarina to school!! The entire BB4C class walked in to Pomp and Circumstance, then they sang us some songs, then showed a slide show of pictures taken throughout the year and finally handed out the diplomas. It was such a cute little ceremony!! I can't believe he will be going to Kindergarten next year!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-35518612201981938112009-06-04T14:15:00.000-05:002009-07-01T11:24:46.933-05:00Memorial Ceremony<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigiuAQTTVI/AAAAAAAAAIw/7Qt6oRgBrSI/s1600-h/IMG_5832.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigiuAQTTVI/AAAAAAAAAIw/7Qt6oRgBrSI/s400/IMG_5832.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343559131612794194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigitikoeVI/AAAAAAAAAIo/VrtkUoTcWg4/s1600-h/IMG_5799.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigitikoeVI/AAAAAAAAAIo/VrtkUoTcWg4/s400/IMG_5799.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343559123645004114" border="0" /></a><br />On Friday, May 15 we attended the Memorial Ceremony held at the Capitol Building. It was another gorgeous day although a little hot for those in polyester! Nick and Sarah even got a chance to stand guard at the wreath that would later be placed at the Law Enforcement Memorial. One survivor from each officer that was killed in 2008 and being honored this year received a red flower that they placed in the wreath when their loved ones name was read. Another emotional day but also a very good experience. The entire walkway that the survivors entered the ceremony was lined with officers 2 or more deep saluting. The names were read by state and so any law enforcement agency from that state would line up and salute while the officers names were read for that state. It is just amazing how many officers take the time to come and honor their fallen comrades.Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093706078261162005.post-62528693906924609212009-06-04T13:44:00.000-05:002009-07-01T11:24:04.104-05:00National Law Enforcement Memorial<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sigbxp_9YFI/AAAAAAAAAIg/koaY6tF2bPA/s1600-h/IMG_5686.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/Sigbxp_9YFI/AAAAAAAAAIg/koaY6tF2bPA/s200/IMG_5686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343551497776750674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbxEmT4DI/AAAAAAAAAIY/VdqJ1LrKzGM/s1600-h/IMG_5678.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbxEmT4DI/AAAAAAAAAIY/VdqJ1LrKzGM/s200/IMG_5678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343551487737061426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbwzMLS5I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/j_VluDXtQwM/s1600-h/IMG_5667.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbwzMLS5I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/j_VluDXtQwM/s200/IMG_5667.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343551483064044434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbwlFLLQI/AAAAAAAAAII/9V9C8Imx9aQ/s1600-h/IMG_5666.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbwlFLLQI/AAAAAAAAAII/9V9C8Imx9aQ/s200/IMG_5666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343551479276580098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbwdMqXBI/AAAAAAAAAIA/NhY_UzDACa8/s1600-h/IMG_5664.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w3DM--bcPME/SigbwdMqXBI/AAAAAAAAAIA/NhY_UzDACa8/s200/IMG_5664.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343551477160500242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. is engraved with tens of thousands of names of all officers killed in the line of duty all across the United States. It is a spectacular sight all by itself but during Police Week the Memorial is adorned with flowers, pictures, badges, notes, scrapbook pages, shirts and pretty much everything in between honoring someone whose life was taken too soon protecting all of us. There are no words to describe the memorial. It is very emotional, especially when you see the wedding and family pictures or the officer who was killed holding their small child; or letters from the children of the fallen officers. The candlelight vigil is amazing. When all the candles are lit and there are thousands of people as far back as they can go, it is a moving sight. Unfortunately my pictures did not turn out during the candlelight vigil but the memory of all those candles will be engraved in my mind forever. Unfortunately we were out there to honor Deputy Jason S. Zunker whose name was engraved on the wall this year. In our group there were 14 people; Mike &amp; Ann Marcks, Jeff &amp; Gayle Soppeland, Sarah Larson, Andy &amp; Dena Clark, Leah Berg, Missy Hagmann, Ray Duncan, Jason Jacobson, Kevin Nyseth, Nicholas and myself. It was a great experience and if we could afford it, I think it would be a yearly trip. But maybe every 3 years or so. We talked to officers from all around the U.S. and even some from London, England. One of the officers from London and another from Fairfax, Virginia rode in Jason's honor for the Police Unity Tour. The Police Unity Tour is an all law enforcement team of bicycle riders who ride from New York to D.C. Kudos to them!! It is a 4-5 hour drive in the car and they said about a 10-12 hour bike ride. At least this year they had good weather!!Nick &amp; Ashley Gardow Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869487439439481770noreply@blogger.com0